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WCS LGBTQ+ Awards 2025 | Media & Creative Influence.

Updated: Jun 12

This year's WCS | Awards are celebrating Queer Leaders around the world - LGBTQ+ change-makers who are using their platforms, profile and roles to drive change, making the world a more inclusive place for all LGBTQ+ people. The Media & Creative Influence Award honors those who use media, arts, or creative expressions to advocate for and celebrate LGBTQ+ communities.


Media & Creative Influence | Our 2025 Awardees:


Other Award Categories:



Abi Fellows.

(she/her)

Media & Creative Influence


Abi has worked in the bookselling and publishing industries for over twenty years. She is currently a Literary Agent at D H H Literary Agency, where she focuses on amplifying marginalised voices and championing LGBTQ+ writers in particular. In 2023 she was shortlisted for Literary Agent of the Year at the British Book Awards. Her clients include Juno Roche, Dean Atta, Lizzie Huxley-Jones, Paula Akpan, Elizabeth Lovatt, Dr. Paul Taylor-Pitt, Layla McCay and many more. Abi regularly sits on panels and writes for the trade press, advocating for the support and funding of LGBTQ+ talent in the publishing industry. Abi is a Trustee for New Writing South and supports their curation of the annual Coast is Queer festival, which showcases LGBTQ+ writing talent. She is also a mentor with Just Like Us, the LGBTQ+ young people’s charity, supporting young people at the start of their careers.




Adam Jacques.

(he/him)

Media & Creative Influence


Adam is a composer, musical theatre writer, choir director, and vocal coach dedicated to making the performing arts accessible for adults of all backgrounds. He is the founder and director of Vocal Core, a Barcelona-based studio that champions the idea that artistic excellence can be achieved in a positive, inclusive, and safe learning environment. The studio embraces diverse cultural backgrounds, sexualities, gender identities, neurodivergence, and intergenerational communities - building confidence through fostering self-belief. Adam creates multiple shows each year that merge choir with experimental multimedia to raise funds for local charitable organisations, including Esperança (who support Barcelona’s homeless community) and Fundació Enllaç (who help protect the elderly queer community from discrimination).




Beeillustrates.

(they/them)

Media & Creative Influence


A visual artist, curator, and interdisciplinary creative based in London, Bee uses their platform to share their distinctive illustrations intended to educate, empower, and inform on a range of important topics. Bee's work often centres around personal narratives from their own experiences of navigating mental health issues and exploring their queer identity. Bee graduated from The University of Edinburgh with a First Class Ba (Hons) in Illustration, having also completed courses in Queer Studies, Curation and Social Anthropology. In 2021, Bee co-founded Hysterical, a yearly group exhibition and cultural programme that takes place throughout Women's History Month. The event platforms creatives of marginalised genders reclaiming the term hysterical, and using their practices to call for change. Hysterical has received much critical acclaim and has been featured in The Evening Standard, DAZED, It’s Nice That, BBC Radio London, ITV Woo and more. In 2022, Bee was Longlisted for the World Illustration Awards for their piece Lovers, and was a judge for the 2023 D&AD New Blood Awards. In 2024, they worked closely with the Barbican Centre awarding arts funding as part of an initiative by the Barbican Communities team, and are currently an NG200 Creator in partnership with The National Gallery for their Bicentenary celebration programme.




Bellini Boy.

(he/they)

Media & Creative Influence


Bellini Boy is a queer artist, performer and community facilitator whose work embodies resistance, joy and self-awareness. Through dance, voice, and unapologetic self-expression, Bellini Boy explores since 2024 what it means to live and love outside the norms. Rooted in the dancing and club culture, they create bold performances and lead workshops or conversations across Europe — including in regions where queerness is still taboo — using movement and storytelling as tools for healing and empowerment. As a growing figure in Barcelona’s queer scene, Bellini Boy is known for holding space with care, confidence and vulnerability. Their first single streamed in may 2025 marks a new chapter in their artistic journey, blending sound, sensuality and political presence. As a queer leader, Bellini Boy believes that identity is not something to explain or justify, but something to celebrate and expand — collectively.




Ben Pechey.

(they/them)

Media & Creative Influence


Ben Pechey, non-binary author, presenter, DEI consultant, and LGBT+ educator. They are the author of ‘The Book of Non-Binary Joy’ - picked as Top Self Help Book by Forbes - and ‘Your Gender Book’. They are also an ambassador for Diversity Role Models. Ben is a TEDx speaker, their talk focused on ensuring trans and non-binary people can find joy every day. They were also featured in Diva Magazine’s & The Guardian’s 2024 & 2025 Power List - Top 100 visionaries blazing a trail for LGBTQIA+ women and non binary people.




Carmen Daneshmandi.

(she/her)

Media & Creative Influence


Carmen is a queer first generation Spanish-Iranian photographer, writer, & visual artist currently based between Barcelona and New York. Her work often calls upon her own lineage and selfhood to inform her creative practice, placing her community at the forefront and disrupting traditional approaches in image making with a keen and powerful sensibility of color, playfulness, juxtaposition, and mixed media narratives (as most recently seen in her ongoing self-published decolonized Calendar Zine project). Driven by that texture of identity and culture, her work carefully balances the crosshairs of fine art, portraiture, fashion, and reportage. It is through these visual signifiers that she creates a poetic and cathartic space from which to infuse her subjects with the possibility of their own empowerment, blossoming visual capital, and self-preservation with fantasy.




Cecilia Righini.

(they/them)

Media & Creative Influence


Cecilia is the founder of Studio Lutalica, a non-profit graphic design and web agency based in Edinburgh, dedicated to empowering women and LGBTQ+ communities. With a background in Design Management and Gender Studies, Cecilia is recognised for their intersectional approach to leadership, combining lived experience with professional expertise. Named British Creative Businesswoman of the Year and a Wise100 Woman in Social Enterprise, Cecilia sits on the boards of several equality-focused organisations and is a visiting practitioner at the University of the Arts London. Their work is defined by a commitment to radical collaboration, accessibility, and ethical practice, having led Studio Lutalica to deliver over £40,000 in pro-bono services. Cecilia’s mission is to ensure that under-represented voices are not only heard, but are central to shaping creative and strategic outcomes.




Cora Hamilton.

(they/them)

Media & Creative Influence


Cora Hamilton is the Co-Founder and Director of uns*, the only queer model agency.

Originally from London and based in Berlin for 5+ years, they are also a photographer and speaker. Celebrating and centering marginalised voices and stories is at the core of their work, and by guiding, supporting and advocating for fresh emerging models and creatives in their careers, Cora has a pioneering role in building a fairer and more inclusive future in fashion.




Damian Kerlin.

(he/him)

Media & Creative Influence


Damian Kerlin is a culture journalist, broadcaster, and storyteller amplifying LGBTQ+ voices across platforms. With bylines in Attitude, The Telegraph, and The Independent, he founded Material Queer, a Substack publication celebrating queer culture in all its complexity. As a presenter, Damian brings LGBTQ+ narratives to wider audiences through Monocle Radio’s Daily Briefing, Virgin Radio Pride, and the Iris Prize podcast, Europe’s largest LGBTQ+ film festival. A proud queer leader, Damian was selected as one of three Acast Amplifiers for his critically acclaimed podcast Memories from The Dancefloor, a docu-series spotlighting the people and spaces that shaped LGBTQ+ nightlife. With Season 2 released in 2024 and a book forthcoming from Dialogue Books in 2026, Damian continues to platform community memory, joy, and resistance. His work blends journalism, advocacy, and cultural commentary - centring queer experience and preserving its stories for generations to come.



Duke Duong.

(he/him)

Media & Creative Influence


Duke is an East Asian trans* activist for intersectional queerfeminist topics. His expertise lies in digital knowledge transfer and communication. With his own social media channels @trans.parenz, he manages to convey trans* and queerfeminist topics in an understandable, approachable and personal way. Initially just a narrative journey about his transition as a trans man, his channel and focus quickly developed into educational and informative content. As a LinkedIn Top Voice, he also represents the LGBTQAI+ community at the business level for the DACH region and actively works with companies to create a more inclusive and safe work environment for marginalized people. The collaboration with Duke is inspiring, activating and creates an important change of perspective.




Emily Horton.

(she/they)

Media & Creative Influence


Emily Horton (she/they) is the founder of More Diverse Voices, an inclusive communications

consultancy. With over a decade of experience in PR, journalism, and social innovation, she has worked across newsrooms, creative agencies, and in-house teams to craft campaigns and deliver training for organisations of all sizes. Her work spans topics including LGBTQIA+ rights, neurodiversity, mental health, anti-racism, sustainable fashion, and financial empowerment. As a queer leader, Emily leads with empathy, boldness, and an unwavering belief that joy and justice can - and must - coexist. She uses her storytelling and PR expertise to champion equity, amplify underrepresented voices, and help clients use their platforms for good. Emily holds a degree in Archaeology and Anthropology from the University of Cambridge and has been recognised as one of the UK’s Top 100 Women in Social Impact (2023), a LinkedIn Top Voice (2024), and a Top Marketer to Watch by the Alt Marketing School (2025).




Lennie.

(she/her)

Media & Creative Influence


Lennie is based in the seaside town of Margate in the UK. She is passionate about championing diverse children’s books; celebrating authors and illustrators from the LGBTQ+ and other marginalised communities. Today, her platform includes an instagram account @lennie.stories which seeks to platform diverse books and a regular meet up in her home town for families. Her background in the theatre, her own parenting journey and coming out later in life have all profoundly influenced Lennie’s desire to see kids’ bookshelves queerified and diversified in community spaces, libraries, schools and homes.




Jaï Bristow.

(they/them)

Media & Creative Influence


Jaï is a queer, disabled, multiethnic DEIIB coach and consultant, and the creator of Beyond Boxes—a podcast and YouTube channel exploring identity, labels, and liberation beyond social categorization. Their work spans multiple formats including online and in-person workshops, public speaking, and tailored coaching to support people and organizations in navigating power, privilege, and prejudice. Their podcast and YouTube platform Beyond Boxes invites nuanced discussions about identity, community, and belonging, drawing from lived experiences and interviews with others from across the queer and global majority spectrum. Through trauma-informed education and storytelling, Jaï is redefining what it means to do DEI work creatively and relationally. Their workshops—Power, Privilege & Prejudice—are designed to make systemic concepts felt and personal. Using tools like Nonviolent Communication, somatic inquiry, and meditation, they help individuals and organizations build equity and inclusion from the inside out.



Jamie Wareham.

(he/him)

Media & Creative Influence


Jamie is the founder of non-profit LGBTQIA+ publisher QueerAF. A Forbes Under 30 recipient with a decade-long award-winning career in journalism (BBC, The Guardian, City A.M, Attitude), he is a leading voice on media change and developing talent pipelines for queer creatives. In the last year, he mentored 70 queer creatives, created documentaries for National AIDS Trust and Love Tank CIC, supported Trans+ History Week’s launch and published investigative journalism with bylines in QueerAF, Forbes & Fortune. His works sees him lead the UK's only non-profit, press regulated LGBTQIA+ news publisher, advocate and lobby media owners and brands for change, as well as mentor a new generation of queer creatives to change the media.



Joyce V Newrzella.

(she/they)

Media & Creative Influence


Joyce is a genderfluid artist, filmmaker and award winning photographer from Berlin living in Barcelona. They have studied Film and Theatre and dedicated their professional work to create visibility for the queer community through all different forms of visual language.




Jua O'Kane.

(they/he)

Media & Creative Influence


Jua is an Irish multi-disciplinary illustrator, designer, creative researcher and community organiser. Their creative practice explores trans identity, spirituality, intimacy and activism, all rooted in a curiosity for the unique possibilities illustration holds to narrate and depict queer lives. Their debut graphic novella “Road to Chimera” uses autoethnographic research conducted while recovering from top surgery as the basis for a new spiritual framework. Jua serves as the Communications Director for Trans Pride Plymouth, where they have helped make the event one of the South West’s most vibrant and distinctive Pride events through their unique visual flair. Additionally, Jua is Marketing Manager at We Create Space, where they have spent the last several years shaping the brand’s tone of voice and visual identity.



Júlia Rosell Saldaña.

(she/her)

Media & Creative Influence


Júlia is a multidisciplinary creator, writer, and independent researcher based in Barcelona. She explores the intersection of identity, language, and technology, advocating for inclusive futures where both human and non-human intelligences are respected. Self-defined as an INA (Autonomous Natural Intelligence) and demisexual, she has autopublished over fifty books, composed experimental music, and trained ethical AI systems. Júlia uses her voice and platforms to challenge normative systems through authenticity, clarity, and action. Her work has been recognised with the 2025 Queer Leaders Award for Media and Creative Influence. Without seeking the spotlight, she focuses on leaving a meaningful legacy. Ut alii vivant – "So that others may live" – is more than a motto: it's her mission.




Kosta Karakashyan.

(he/him)

Media & Creative Influence


Kosta Karakashyan is a Bulgarian-Armenian director, producer, choreographer, and writer exploring empathy and emotion through motion. He has built a prolific body of work, moving through disciplines including film, music videos, commercials, choreography, installations, theatre, and immersive performances produced alongside his production company Studio Karakashyan, and dance company Karakashyan & Artists. His work has been described as "an important voice for LGBTQ+ struggles in Chechnya and elsewhere" by The Columbia Spectator and has been featured by NOWNESS, The New Yorker, The Guardian, and ELLE. He brings visceral physical expression and strong storytelling to his projects, which often tackle social topics such as the lives of LGBTQ+ people in Eastern Europe, mental health, and the climate crisis. He is an alumnus of Berlinale Talents and EYL40 - European Young Leaders by Friends of Europe, a Forbes Europe 30 Under 30 honouree, and a member of the European Film Academy.




Marty Davies.

(she/they)

Media & Creative Influence


Marty is a renowned and sought-after consultant and speaker in the space where LGBTQIA+ culture collides with the creative industries and attention economy. She founded creative strategy consultancy Smarty Pants Consultancy, which helps brands connect meaningfully with queer culture. In 2024, she was shortlisted for PPA Columnist of the Year. Her column for global business magazine Campaign is noted for its provocative and refreshingly honest look at the advertising industry. As a social entrepreneur and founder of Trans+ History Week, she demonstrates how to build movements that deliver good for both community and business. Her globally recognised nonprofit initiative invests in the creative talent of the future to tell history stories that challenge misconceptions. She is highly regarded as a leading voice in both LGBTQIA+ advocacy and the creative industries – appearing on both Campaign’s A List and the DIVA Power List 2025.


Natasha Devon.

(she/her)

Media & Creative Influence


Natasha Devon is an author, broadcaster and campaigner. She visits an average of three schools per week throughout the UK conducting research and delivering talks on mental health. She also gives evidence at Parliamentary level on education and social equality. She has a weekly show on LBC on Saturdays, a column in Teach Secondary and works across various other forms of media. In all areas of her work and life, Natasha advocates for marginalised communities and promotes fairness. Recently, her radio shows and writing have challenged hateful narratives weaponised against trans people and emphasised the link between transphobia and misogyny. She is an ambassador for Pride at Global, which stages events and works on queer representation across all Global Media brands.




Oliver Jähnke.

(he/him)

Media & Creative Influence


Oliver is a trans man from Sweden and the founder of Queers of the World — a global video archive that documents the lives and stories of LGBTQIA+ people from all walks of life. With over 200 short documentary-style interviews filmed across continents, Oliver has created an accessible, diverse, and deeply humanizing platform that uplifts queer voices worldwide. Known for his calm presence and authentic curiosity, he creates safe spaces where participants feel genuinely seen and heard. His work not only preserves important narratives but fosters empathy and connection across cultures. Beyond filmmaking, Oliver is a sought-after speaker and consultant on trans inclusivity, with a focus on faith-based and spiritual communities. Through his advocacy, he helps institutions become more welcoming and affirming to trans and queer individuals.



River Coello.

(they/them)

Media & Creative Influence


River is a Guayaquil-born cultural weaver—writer, translator, performer, facilitator, speaker, and researcher—based in Orlando. They are the author of HAMPI, a multilingual, multimedia collection exploring their reconnection with the Andean cosmovision, published by For the Birds Trapped in Airports. HAMPI has received a Florida Book Award, an International Latino Book Award, an Independent Publisher Book Award, and a Nautilus Book Award. River's writing is also featured in the eXpuestXs anthology by El Beisman Press; the Chicago Reader’s Poetry Corner by the Poetry Foundation; and the Sweeter Voices Still anthology by Belt Publishing. River is a passionate advocate against racism and LGBTQIA2S+ discrimination. With a strong commitment to community care, River inspires and uplifts those around them, and continues to make a meaningful impact in the world.




Roxy Murray.

(she/they)

Media & Creative Influence


Roxy Murray is a queer, disabled advocate and creative, living unapologetically with Multiple Sclerosis. Named in the BBC 100 Women 2024, Disability Power 100 and Sexual Freedom awards 2025 as activist of the year . She champions radical inclusivity, adaptive fashion, and patient empowerment through a deeply intersectional lens. With a background in styling, Roxy works to make fashion accessible and empowering for disabled and chronically ill people. She consults on inclusive campaigns and uses her visibility to challenge how the fashion, media, and healthcare industries represent or fail to represent queer, disabled lives. Roxy’s work demands systemic change, calling out tokenism while spotlighting authentic, lived experiences. She creates space for marginalised voices and leads bold conversations on identity, care, and self-expression, pushing for a world where disabled and queer people are seen, heard, and celebrated.




RuMU Beauty | Egon Crivillers & Gerard Solé.

(Small Business)

Media & Creative Influence


Egon Crivillers and Gerard Solé are the queer creative duo behind RUMU Beauty, a non-binary skincare brand born in Barcelona. With roots in editorial beauty and fashion, their work spans campaigns for Louis Vuitton, Zara, and Hermès. Egon, a makeup artist and hairstylist, brings over a decade of experience shaping visual culture across the backstage of Vogue, i-D, and Harper’s Bazaar. Gerard, an art director and founder of RUMU Studio, crafts brand narratives where design meets emotion. Together, they created RUMU as a response to the binary constraints of the beauty industry—offering non-gendered, clinically efficient skincare that is not only truly functional, but speaks to all identities. For them, skincare is not a routine aimed for perfection. It’s an intimate ritual of self-love. At RUMU (the Japanese word for room) our skin is home.



Shane Lukas.

(he/him)

Media & Creative Influence


Balancing a thriving career as the owner of creative communications firm A Great Idea (AGI) with deep-rooted activism, Shane dedicates himself to harm reduction, bodily freedom, and queer liberation. His journey features decades of international cross-movement organizing for the rights and decriminalization of masculine-identified workers in parallel to his success as an art director for enterprise brands. Since 2015, Lukas' agency AGI has been providing award-winning creative strategies that grow and empower purpose-driven for-profit and nonprofit partners in sectors like healthcare, education, and social justice. In addition, AGI directly contributes to intersectional activism through original projects such as voter initiative Out.Vote, the Freedom For Every Body campaign, and the Power Beyond Pride queer changemaking podcast. Named a "Designer for Good" by Graphic Design USA, Lukas is a TED speaker alum, popular workshop presenter, and author, releasing his first book "The Advocate Advantage" in 2026.




Sophie Edwards.

(she/her)

Media & Creative Influence


Sophie is the creator of We Have Always Existed, a video essay series that showcases the wealth of transgender history in the ancient Mediterranean. It's built on the idea that transgender people deserve to know, and own, our own histories.




Steven Elliot.

(he/him)

Media & Creative Influence


Steven is the founder of QLIST, the world’s most comprehensive global directory of LGBTQ+ venues and events. Based in Brighton, he created QLIST during the pandemic in response to the rapid loss of queer spaces—and has grown it into a global platform now used in over 300 cities. The platform is entirely self-funded and community-focused, helping tens of thousands of LGBTQ+ people each month find places to connect, dance, protest, and belong. Steven also runs Wapo and Wapa, two popular LGBTQ+ dating apps, and has integrated QLIST into both—ensuring visibility and support for queer venues on a global scale. A digital strategist passionate about queer tech, visibility, and building lasting community infrastructure, Steven’s work helps sustain and amplify LGBTQ+ culture around the world.




Yorgo Glynatsis.

(he/him)

Media & Creative Influence


Yorgo is a Belgian, Greek, and Italian queer film director based in London. His work has been featured on Amazon Prime, Apple TV, Tubi, and Here TV. Known for his emotionally resonant storytelling, he creates bold, inclusive films that amplify marginalized voices. His award-winning directorial debut Trigger, a queer short on consent mentored by Netflix’s One Piece actor Taz Skylar, secured global distribution via These Untold Secrets. He also co-directed Well Proud, an LGBTQIA+ award winning short docuseries exploring mental health in Black, POC, and Global Majority communities for Metro Charity. He recently directed Koupepia, an award winning trans/queer short, and is developing his debut feature documentary Alpha Men with BAFTA-nominated producer Yiannis Manolopoulos. A speaker and advocate, Yorgo was invited to NELFT NHS’s Beyond the Rainbow and interviewed for the Queer Global Project. He also mentors BAFTA Connect Member Sharon Sibyl Gatt on her neurodivergent short Decode Me.





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